Green Tea for Hair Growth, Strength and Shine
Green tea is a fantastic natural home remedy to reduce shedding, strengthen hair and add luster and shine. Letโs get to know green tea more.
Some time ago, my parents visited Darjeeling, a town in the Himalayan foothills. If you are a tea drinker, you would know Darjeeling is famous for its tea plantation. The place has steep slopes, well-drained soil and high elevation โ where cool air meets warm air. These are the perfect conditions for the camellia sinensis or tea plant to grow and produce top-quality tea.
So the obvious gift to get from Darjeeling is tea. And my parents brought me a couple of bags of loose green tea. I was excited to receive green tea, which I had not tasted before. But the excitement faded with the first sip (itโs not for me). Since then, it has just been sitting in my cupboard waiting for its turn. As I am hair obsessed, after reading about the amazing hair benefits of green tea, I thought of putting it to some hair use.
4 Amazing Benefits of Green Tea for your Hair & Scalp
While green tea comes from the same plant as black, it undergoes minimal processing, leaving it with more antioxidants (in the form of polyphenols), essential oils and nutrients.
1. Caffeine and Antioxidants Promote Hair Growth: These two โsuperstar compoundsโ in green tea help reduce hair loss and prolong the anagen stage โ which is the active growing stage of hair.ย
2. Inhibits DHT and Reduces Hair Loss: Someย studies show that green teaโs polyphenols work to reduce the formation of DHT (dihydrotestosterone) โThe hormone that causes male and female pattern baldness (or androgenic alopecia)
3. Neutralises Hair Damaging Free Radials: Green teaโs powerful antioxidants help protect your hair follicles from oxidation due to free radicals. The free radical build up is one of the causes of inflammation in the hair follicles, leading to their shrinking and thus producing thin, weak hair.
4. Conditions and Adds Shine to Hair: Green tea is a fantastic conditioning herb. Itโs astringent qualities reduce greasiness and adds shine to hair. Green tea also provides nourishment to the roots and promotes stronger, healthier new growth.
How to Make Green Tea Hair Rinseย
You need green tea and water to make the basic hair rinse. And it will work just fine, especially if you have oily hair.
But for those of you with dry scalp, green teaโs astringent qualities can be drying for the scalp. You can add conditioning herbs such as chamomile, lavender or amla. Plus, You can add henna for a reddish tint as well as give hair a body and shine.ย
What you will need:
Optional add-ins
- 1 tablespoon Chamomile flowers (soothes scalp and conditions hair)
- 1/2 teaspoon Lavender flowers (balances scalp oils and softens hair)
- 1 teaspoon dried Amla pieces (reduces hair fall and enhances growth)
- 1 teaspoon Aloe vera gel (reduces pH and defines hair)
- 1 teaspoon Henna powder (gives hair a reddish tint and thickens hair)
Making Instructions
Place green tea in a pot or jug. If you have dry hair, add one or more of the conditioning herbs: chamomile, lavender or tulsi leaves/powder. You can also add some dried amla pieces to boost hair growth.
Pour hot water over green tea and herbs and let it steep until it cools. Strain and add aloe vera gel now, if using.
How To Use
Use as a final rinse. After shampoo, pour green tea on your hair. Work it into your scalp and hair and leave it on for 5 minutes. Then rinse off with cool water to lock in the shine. You can use this tea one or twice a week.
If you are wondering how green tea can have an effect in a few minutes sitting on the scalp. Well, a study showed that caffeine can penetrate the hair follicles just after 2 minutes of applying. Which is fantastic.ย
Tip:ย You can use squeeze/applicator bottle for easy pouring.ย
Green tea water as a hair wash
This tea has cleansing qualities, so you can use it as a mild shampoo after a sweaty work out or whenever your hair needs some freshening up. And it even works in hard water.
Buying Green Teaย
You canย buy loose green tea or buy a box of green tea bags. Make sure the ingredient is pure green tea, without any additives. Or you wonโt get the results.
Do you use green tea hair rinse? I would love to know how it works for youโฆ
